Waukesha man charged with selling Play-Doh pills as ecstasy

Complaint: Twenty-year-old said fake pills sold for 'free money'

A 20-year-old Waukesha man was charged last week with several counts of drug trafficking, allegedly selling an undercover officer fake ecstasy pills he had made out of Play-Doh.

Matthew McClain, 1315 Camden Way Unit B, was charged on Monday, Feb. 3 in Waukesha County Circuit Court with two counts of non-narcotics distribution, two counts of imitation controlled substance distribution, one count of maintaining a drug trafficking place and once count of drug paraphernalia possession.

McClain was previously convicted in September 2012 with marijuana possession and was fined about $475.

According to the criminal complaint, an undercover officer with the Waukesha Police Department arranged to purchase 10 ecstasy pills and marijuana from McClain on April 13, 2012.

The officer met with McClain at his residence on Camden Way and McCain sold the officer seven pink pills and three orange pills for $200, the complaint states. McCain said in the complaint that his elementary school-aged cousin would have to accompany them to buy the marijuana, but the officer declined.

The pills were field tested for an illegal substance, but the test was inconclusive. The Wisconsin Crime Lab analyzed the pills and found that they contained “BZB,” an illegal substance commonly sold as ecstasy, the complaint states.

The officer arranged to purchase 15 pills on April 18, 2012. She again met with McClain at his residence, where he handed her a baggie containing pink, orange and blue pills. The officer noted that the pills were “very soft” and looked like Play-Doh.

McClain said in the complaint his dealer had just dropped them off and they were “fresh.”

Six of the pills later tested positive for BZB.

Police executed a search warrant on McClain’s residence on April 8, 2012, and found floating in a toilet several baggies containing Play-Doh and flour, the complaint states. Also recovered were several pipes commonly used to smoke marijuana.

McClain sold 20 more pills to a confidential informant on May 2, 2012, but those pills did not test positive for an illegal substance, according to the complaint.

McClain admitted in a statement to police that he sold Play-Doh pills to the undercover officer, the complaint states. He said in the complaint that he knew it was illegal, but he did it to get “free money.”

McClain could face up to 32 years in prison and $50,000 in fines if convicted.

He is expected to make an initial appearance in court on March 10.

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